UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 02-4982
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
versus
RODNEY J. BROWN,
Defendant - Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western
District of Virginia, at Roanoke. Samuel G. Wilson, Chief District
Judge. (CR-02-46)
Submitted: October 24, 2003 Decided: December 3, 2003
Before MOTZ, GREGORY, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.
Affirmed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Anthony F. Anderson, Melissa W. Friedman, Roanoke, Virginia, for
Appellant. John L. Brownlee, United States Attorney, R. Andrew
Bassford, Assistant United States Attorney, Roanoke, Virginia, for
Appellee.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
PER CURIAM:
Rodney J. Brown appeals the judgment of the district court
convicting him of possession with intent to distribute more than
fifty grams of cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841
(2000). On appeal, Brown claims that the Government produced
insufficient evidence of its informant’s reliability to support its
search warrant. As noted by Brown in his brief, this court has
previously addressed the reliability of informants with respect to
controlled purchases of narcotics and found such use entirely
appropriate. See United States v. Clyburn, 24 F.3d 613, 618 (4th
Cir. 1994). Moreover, we find Brown’s attempts to distinguish the
facts of his case from Clyburn to be unpersuasive. Accordingly, we
affirm Brown’s conviction and sentence. We dispense with oral
argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately
presented in the materials before the court and argument would not
aid the decisional process.
AFFIRMED
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